EVENT INFORMATIONIn the whole of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, there is no single treatise more deeply revered or widely practiced than A Bodhisattva's way of Life by Shantideva. It is revered in Buddhist circles as one of the most authoritative expositions of the Buddha's core insight, all other Buddhist practices are means to support the generation of this wisdom within the practitioner.

Over the course of the weekend, His Holiness will explore the six perfections that provide the basis for the Bodhisattva's Way of life – generosity, ethics, patience, zeal, meditative concentration and wisdom.

His Holiness has stated, “If I have any understanding of compassion and the practice of the Bodhisattva path, it is entirely on the basis of this text that I possess it”.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama considers these teachings seminal influence in his life and work and repeatedly stresses the benefits of its study.

“As long as space endures, as long as sentient beings remain, may I likewise remain to dispel the sorrows of the world.” Shantideva

Shantideva was a seventh-century Buddhist master who taught at Nalanda, one of the great monastic universities of ancient India.

"All branches of the Buddha's teachings are taught for the sake of wisdom. If you wish to bring an end to suffering, you must develop wisdom." Shantideva

This Teaching will afford those attending to once again be in the presence of His Holiness and receive these invaluable teachings directly from him.

Thanks so much for posting this. I had heard the tickets were going on sale in March, not February (only for the Brisbane event). I'm going to try my best to see him.

Last edited by neverdowell on Mon Jan 10, 2011 5:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

To develop bodhichitta, which is the actual practice, you need to develop such compassion that you simply cannot bear others being tormented by suffering. But in order to develop this compassion, you must know exactly how you yourself are plagued by suffering. And you must understand that the whole of samsara is by nature suffering. But first you must fear the lower realms, for without this you will have no repudiation of celestial and human happiness. You must therefore train your mind in the small- and medium- scope parts of the path. -- Pabongka Rinpoche

Once again, Dalai Lama in Australia would like to offer 200 Scholarship places for the A Bodhisattva Way of Life Teachings in Melbourne, 11th to 13th June 2011.

These scholarship places have been made available due to the generous support of other attendees purchasing our Supporter and Friends Ticket Packages and their purpose is to allow those who otherwise would not be able to afford to attend the Teachings the opportunity to receive these remarkable teachings from His Holiness.

There is 'no set criteria' for the awarding of a scholarship place however places are limited to 200 and we would ask you to consider your position sincerely and only make application if financial hardship is a real issue for you.

To register and have your application considered for one of our Scholarships, you will need post your application letter of no more than one page to us at:

It costs a huge amount of money to host something like this, often in excess of a million dollars. HH insists that no profit is made on his teaching events and if it is, as sometimes happens, it is always donated to charity. It's not un-buddhist it's just the way the world works.

Well I'd say those are for more wealthy patrons. In all honesty, the people who pay that much are looking at it as a donation. To mere working class people like myself, it is expensive. To those with the good karma to have come into wealth, it is pennies. A mandala offering to their Guru. These are the patrons that fund museums, build temples, provide the financial support for temples to publish and distribute free books, pay for the mortgage and even food that houses monks, and of course organize large events like this.

But I think the critical point is that every Vajrayana teaching I've come across, there is always a statement on the flyer saying something to the effect of "those who cannot afford to pay, the teaching is free". This is important to note.

How foolish you are, grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention! - Vasubandhu

It costs a huge amount of money to host something like this, often in excess of a million dollars. HH insists that no profit is made on his teaching events and if it is, as sometimes happens, it is always donated to charity. It's not un-buddhist it's just the way the world works.

Yes, I don't know how it works in other places, but the organisers who bring HHDL to Australia are always very transparent about the financial aspects. The last few times the treasurer has spoken briefly at the end of the teachings detailing the balance sheet. Usually they make a small'ish loss, but last year in Sydney they made a bit extra, and it was immediately donated.

So, you know, the expensive seats et al are just to cover costs. It would be possibly the worst form of hypocrisy to give a teaching on Shantideva with the intention of making a profit......

Okay I think I will ask my Boss (wife) if I can go to this. I think I can justify a C grade ticket.

I think it may be my last chance to see His Holiness in action.

Hi Tree

Having attended a teaching on 'A Bodhisattva's Way Of Life' at Namgyal Monastery in McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala, kindly given by His Holiness a few years ago I would definitely recommend anyone to attend if they possibly can. I found it highly beneficial to be there in person as opposed to hearing or watching it on a webcast say.

Okay I think I will ask my Boss (wife) if I can go to this. I think I can justify a C grade ticket.

I think it may be my last chance to see His Holiness in action.

Just go.

I remember a few years ago I was umming and aahhing about it, and my girlfriend at the time (who was, I suppose, much more devoted) just unhesitatingly booked absolutely everything on the tour, even though we were both poor students.

I definitely understood her sense of urgency afterwards. It's not for me to extol the virtues of HHDL, but I think it's definitely the case that fame, hype, media and political attention can easily obscure the fact that underneath it all is a teacher of rare substance.

I thinking creating / strengthening your karmic connection with him is invaluable. That's why I'm going to his speech.

To develop bodhichitta, which is the actual practice, you need to develop such compassion that you simply cannot bear others being tormented by suffering. But in order to develop this compassion, you must know exactly how you yourself are plagued by suffering. And you must understand that the whole of samsara is by nature suffering. But first you must fear the lower realms, for without this you will have no repudiation of celestial and human happiness. You must therefore train your mind in the small- and medium- scope parts of the path. -- Pabongka Rinpoche

Okay I think I will ask my Boss (wife) if I can go to this. I think I can justify a C grade ticket.

I think it may be my last chance to see His Holiness in action.

Hi Tree

Having attended a teaching on 'A Bodhisattva's Way Of Life' at Namgyal Monastery in McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala, kindly given by His Holiness a few years ago I would definitely recommend anyone to attend if they possibly can. I found it highly beneficial to be there in person as opposed to hearing or watching it on a webcast say.

Okay I think I will ask my Boss (wife) if I can go to this. I think I can justify a C grade ticket.

I think it may be my last chance to see His Holiness in action.

Just go.

I remember a few years ago I was umming and aahhing about it, and my girlfriend at the time (who was, I suppose, much more devoted) just unhesitatingly booked absolutely everything on the tour, even though we were both poor students.

I definitely understood her sense of urgency afterwards. It's not for me to extol the virtues of HHDL, but I think it's definitely the case that fame, hype, media and political attention can easily obscure the fact that underneath it all is a teacher of rare substance.